1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a multi-directional detect switch, and particularly to a detect switch used in a mobile phone or the likes. The detect switch is adapted for electrically connecting with selected fixed terminals via a multi-directional operation.
2. Description of Related Art
A conventional multi-directional detect switch is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,586,690 issued on Jul. 1, 2003. The detect switch comprises an insulative housing, a fixed central terminal and a fixed common terminal mounted in the insulative housing by insert molding, a dome sheet having a central portion positioned above the fixed central terminal and a periphery portion contacting with the fixed common terminal, four fixed contacts, a moveable contact located between the dome sheet and the fixed contacts, and a cover having a pair of grounding portions. The detect switch comprises a button integrated with the moveable contact as a whole, via a multi-dimensional neck portion connecting the button to the moveable contact. When the button is actuated obliquely, the central portion of the dome sheet comes to contact with the fixed central terminal, and the moveable contact comes to contact with corresponding fixed contact and the cover. The fixed central terminal, the fixed common terminal and the corresponding fixed contact are electrically connected.
As described above, the grounding portions are formed on the cover and would be electrically connected to the moveable contact when the button is operated obliquely. Therefore, the detect switch could not get a reliable connection between the moveable contact and the grounding portions, and thereby could not acquire a good ESD (electrostatic discharge) performance.
Additionally, it is hard to manufacture the moveable contact and the button together as a whole. Furthermore, the multi-dimensional neck portion does not enable the button to have a smooth multi-directional operation.
Hence, an improved multi-directional switch is required to overcome the above-mentioned disadvantages of the related art.